Dance Gala 2009 Program Book

June 2009

Dear Parents, Dancers and Friends,

As we enter our 11th Dance Gala we take the time to reflect on the past year and all that it has brought. The past season has been a challenging time for many That’s Dancing families and for our families personally. Throughout, we have found strength and love standing all around us. Our dance families have been the glue that helped hold things together. It remains a pleasure to be able to teach children dance and give back to our community. By providing a positive environment through dance education, our students will create bonds of friendship and tools for expression. Our hope is that these healthy experiences bring bright days and endless possibilities as our students dance through their lifes journeys.

Our amazing faculty has been there for us as well as each other this past season. They have brought energy and enthusiasm into each of their classes. Ms. Loren Foster has been with us for 7 years and will continue next season. Her schedule will become a part time position as she is eager to spend more quality time with Lilly, her soon to be 3 year old and 1st year That’s Dancing student! We will be saying goodbye to Ms. Stacy Grattan as a teacher but never as a friend at the end of this season. Stacy is family, as she not only taught here for the past 4 years, but also trained with us the 7 years prior. Good luck Stacy on your new venture! We welcomed 4 new faculty members this season and are excited that they will all be returning for the 2009-10 dance season. Mr. Larry Albright, Ms. Nicole Jacquetti and Ms. Erin Sinsley will remain part time faculty, while Ms. Katherine Lameyer will be coming back as a full time teacher. We are also excited to announce that Ms. Jessica Pearl (Dinsky) will be joining our staff beginning this summer. Ms. Jessica continued on from That’s Dancing to New World School of the Arts where she received her BFA in dance. We are thrilled to welcome her home as a full time faculty member. Also new to our faculty is Richard Rein, a master ballet teacher and régisseur and Janet Tiberian, a certified Pilates and Gyrokinesis instructor.

It is hard to imagine topping our 10th Anniversary Gala, but with the help of many, we believe we have! To all of the friends joining us for our 11th Gala, thank you for attending our event. We hope that you enjoy the hard work and effort these dancers have put in to give you the best performance today. To all of the families that support That’s Dancing, thank you for entrusting your children’s dance education to us and for valuing the importance of arts education. Thank you to our mom and dad who continue to make everything easier than it should be because of their support and love. To our devoted faculty, thank you for being dedicated professionals who care for our dancers and teach them technique with love and support. To Linda Marzlak, an extraordinary human being, we applaud your tireless efforts of keeping our office running smoothly and we sincerely thank you. To our children, Nicholas, Mason, Milana and Riley, you keep us laughing while we sometimes want to cry! You help us keep perspective of everything important in our lives – we love you all! To Nick, who has suffered the tragic loss of his father Dr. Nicholas F. LaMaina, you continue to amaze us with your selflessness and dedication. We miss your dad everyday, but it will be especially hard during this, our first Gala without him.

We dedicate Dance Gala 2009 to Dr. Nicholas F. LaMaina. His wit and humor are joyful memories in which we find strength for continued possibilities.

Peace, Love, Dance,
Andrea LaMaina & Michele Walsh
Co-Owners / Artistic Directors
That’s Dancing